


Bargaining Chips

by miz_blue



Category: Over the Garden Wall (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-26
Updated: 2015-01-26
Packaged: 2018-03-09 02:49:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3233441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miz_blue/pseuds/miz_blue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Woodsman blew out the Beast's lantern, ending the dark creature's twisted existence. Or did it? Perhaps eldritch forest gods may not be so easily disposed of after all--especially when they have another god waiting in the wings to help get them back on their feet.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bargaining Chips

Enoch shifted and curled his little black paws closer to his belly, tail wrapped around their padded tips. This was not the most comfortable bed he had ever had, but he was a cat right now and cats were known to take their ease in odd places. 

The Beast's chest was an especially unusual choice though.

Enoch shifted again, though this time it was not his doing but rather that of the being lying beneath him. Only two nights ago—after a month of feeding the lantern—had the Beast re-materialized beside his lamp, albeit unconscious. However, tonight it seemed he might actually wake up.

It was a good night for dark spirits. A mournful wind was blowing through the trees of the Edel Forest outside, and the moon was new, her face turned away, which left only the stars to try to bring some light. The abandoned cabin where Enoch had brought the Beast was set in the lee of a rocky hill, leaving it even more shaded and dark and practically invisible to passersby unless they knew where to look.

A soft groan got Enoch's attention, and he turned his face to where he knew the Beast's antlered head was. The forest-keeper drew in a sharp breath, white eyes finally opening. His spindly fingers scraped at the dirt floor as well as the pallet he was laid out on, and the Beast's bright eyes blinked owlishly while he tried to get his bearings.

"Don't get up," Enoch warned pointlessly.

Ignoring or not registering the advice, the Beast lurched into a sitting position, but the lantern set nearby flickered dangerously in response, forcing the dark spirit to lie back down again. Already dislodged, Enoch hopped gingerly off of his grim companion and alighted on the packed-earth floor. Allowing the Beast a few moments to collect himself, Enoch went about adding more oil to the lantern and lining up a few additional bottles within easy reach. He would need to go back to Pottsfield soon—he had been away too long already.

"I despise this," the Beast hissed softly. He sounded calm enough though, like he realized where he was and what was going on.

"So don't the rest of us," Enoch replied, "but take it easy. If you push yerself too much, the lantern will just peter out."

"How long have I been gone?" the Beast asked tiredly. It seemed that what little movement he'd managed had exhausted him.

"Nigh on a month now. So what happened?" Enoch asked, not bothering to hide his curiosity. "That wily woodsman get the drop on you?"

"It's none of your concern," the Beast replied frostily. Most beings—even those on par with the Edel Forest's keeper—would not have dared to question him further, but Enoch was not one to be so easily dissuaded.

"Aw shucks, can't an old friend ask another old friend how he got himself into such a pickle?"

"We're not friends, and you should mind your own business," the shadowy being snapped, his patience fraying much more quickly than usual.

"Is it still just your business when I'm here patching you back up again?" Enoch shook his head reprovingly. "What is this, the third—fourth?—time we've done this?"

When it became clear that Enoch was actually expecting a reply, the Beast grudgingly answered, "The fourth."

"Y'see? You go through lantern-bearers like water, and yet you're constantly surprised when a few turn on you. It's because you always end up playin' games with 'em—"

"You play your games too!"

The autumn god did not deny it. "But my games aren't so malicious. Usually." 

True, Enoch had a bit of a prankster streak to him, and it was common enough knowledge that—among other things—the Mayor of Pottsfield liked to make outlandish charges against any non-native strolling into town. (Enoch had even tried to jest with the Beast in that fashion until the latter had made it clear that he had no sense of humor whatsoever for nonsense.) But Enoch's jokes never hurt anyone. He was a fair god and wouldn't actually punish someone unless they deserved it—and even then, never more than what they deserved.

The Beast on the other hand...

The autumn god fixed him with a very serious look—or at least as serious as a cat could manage. Though considering the eldritch coppery sheen of Enoch's yellow eyes, he seemed suddenly rather serious indeed.

"You know I'd be the last to criticize your practices—goodness knows, some souls are just _lost_ —but what you did to that woodsman's poor daughter is mighty close to despicable. Not a very nice game, y'know."

It took a bit of effort for the Beast to lever himself up onto his elbows, but he seemed irritable enough to make a go of it. "That little witch came stomping through my woods and brazenly challenged me. Did you think I would ignore her throwing her infantile magic about in my domain?"

Enoch rolled his eyes. "No, of course not. But you didn't need to do something so wicked. You could've trounced her proper-like then chucked her back out of the woods—maybe far from home if you were feeling especially cross. But no, y'all had to get _mean_ about it. And then such an unkind thing to do to her father when he wasn't involved at all."

"Guilty by association," the Beast growled. "I am not interested in sitting here and being lectured by you. An intruder trespassed in my domain, and I dealt with it as I saw fit. I broke none of the Accords that the six of us agreed upon."

The cat-shaped being mulled that over. "I suppose not. You might consider being nicer though," Enoch retorted sagely. "Just for its own sake, I mean. One of these days you're gonna get yerself in trouble, and then you may end up at the mercy of someone who's a bit less like me and a bit more like _you_."

The Beast did not appear to have an adequate response for that so he turned his face away instead. He might have sighed, but it might also just have been the wind from outside.

"At any rate," Enoch continued cheerily, "since we _aren't_ friends, it looks like you owe me a favor—four favors, in fact. Unless you'd like to be friends after all?"

"What sort of favors did you have in mind?" the Beast asked in a grumpy, put upon tone.

Enoch sighed. "Well, if that's the way you want it." He brightened quickly though, already long used to the Beast's standoffish mien. "Nothing too dramatic—though I may save one of those favors in my back pocket for a right proper emergency." After all, one never knew when it might be useful to have a fellow eldritch creature in one's debt.

"For the rest, I was thinking a bit of a musical performance? I got a sweet little gent a few harvests back—lonely undiscovered musician sort of fellow—who's written some stunning pieces. Trouble is, I've got no one good to sing bass—"

"I am not some petty entertaining bard—" the Beast protested.

But Enoch gave no quarter. "Funny, that lantern that I've been filling for you says otherwise." And you should be grateful that I'm letting you off so easy,> the autumn spirit thought.

The Beast closed his eyes, his form almost disappearing in the inky blackness. "Fine," he eventually said. And then... "Thank you. For replenishing the lantern, I mean."

"You'd have come back on your own eventually," Enoch replied, satisfied at finally seeing his companion show a little humility. "If it makes you feel any better, I also want you hale and hearty as soon as possible so's you can go back to managing your forest. Without you keeping it in check, the Edel Forest gets...awfully bold. My people have already had to root a few foreign saplings out of the east orchards."

The Beast's eyes flickered briefly yellow and blue. "My apologies, Harvest King. If there are any disturbances along your borders, I will make clearing them up my first priority once I can move about again."

Enoch dipped his head politely. "Much obliged, O Lord of the Forest. Now about my other demands..."

"I would prefer not to sing in Pottsfield. Or anywhere public for that matter."

"Mm, don't see why you're suddenly shy about it, but I won't twist your arm." Enoch's lambent eyes took in their current surroundings. The acoustics would be dreadful in this little cabin, but outside would be acceptable, and they weren't terribly far from Pottsfield so it would not be inconvenient for him to come here. "Would this little shack be alright?"

"Yes, thank you," the Beast replied courteously.

"Well, if that's settled, then I'd say it's time for you to get some sleep." Satisfied with the arrangement of the bottles of edelwood oil, Enoch hopped back onto the pallet and then clambered up onto the Beast's chest.

"I do not sleep per se," the Beast grumbled, but he didn't protest the other spirit on top of him, and the autumn god considered that high progress indeed.

Enoch tucked himself into a little cat loaf. "Then have some of whatever passes for rest with you. I'll stay up and watch over the lantern for a bit."

"Fine."

With little reluctance, the Beast lay back down on the makeshift bed and closed his glowing eyes. Enoch couldn't tell if he was conscious or not, but the Beast was still and silent so that would have to be good enough. Either way, the lantern flame held steady, wavering only a little under Enoch's watchful gaze.

-end-

**Author's Note:**

> So that was my first _Over the Garden Wall_ fanfic. I hope everyone enjoyed it! I've definitely got more story ideas, particularly my take on what happened to the Woodsman's daughter. Let's see if I can corral those plotbunnies into some semblance of order!


End file.
